Once the cherries are harvested by the farmers, the former need to go through a stage on their way to becoming a high quality product.

This stage, called processing, consists in extracting the coffee bean from the harvested cherry. For that purpose, 2 different methods may be used. In dry processing, the whole cherry is dried, whereas in wet processing, the cherry is pulped (and eventually fermented) before drying.

The choice of one of those methods will have an impact in the sensory qualities of the bean and a good execution at this stage is crucial in ensuring coffee’s quality.

The organisations that handle this stage may be of very different nature, depending on their idiosyncrasy and the country’s own particularities.

Processing can be done by large farmers on their own premises, or by companies such as cooperatives and wet mills that gather coffee in enough quantity in order to process it efficiently.

These bulking companies create lots for sale to the international market, granting market access to many small farmers. They often also perform other activities, such as technical training and support, prefinancing, among others. Their work in selecting and preparing coffee plays a very important role in the production of high quality coffees and in ensuring the continuity of coffee flow throughout the value chain.

• WET MILLS: wet mills process the cherry until the coffee is dry for storage. Once stored, that coffee will wait for its delivery as cherry (dry method) or as parchment (wet method). Coffee will have to be further processed in order to obtain green exportable coffee. In Africa, wet mills are also known as Washing Stations.

• DRY MILLS: dry mills will remove the outer layers of the coffee bean, thus obtaining unclassified green coffee. The latter will be then graded by size (screen sorting), density (gravity table) and defect count, thus obtaining exportable green coffee. Dry mills, depending on the region, can be found at the farm itself (large estates), at cooperatives and at exporting companies. They may also be independent companies.

• COOPERATIVES: a cooperative is a producers’ association whose goal is to market their product more efficiently, thus obtaining higher incomes for them. Depending on the cooperatives’ size and location, they can do the marketing only or they can also process the beans, acting as a wet mill or as a dry mill, sometimes as both. In Central America there are large cooperatives that handle all the process, from receiving and processing fresh cherries to exportable green coffee up to the international sale of the latter.

• EXPORTERS: exporters are responsible for selling the green coffee beans to the international market. They also are active in finance, quality control, documentation and account management.

All these organisations play a crucial role in the proper functioning of the coffee market and their contribute to coffee’s quality and traceability is essential, preserving the identity of the lots throughout their operations.

As it was mentioned before, the composition of the coffee supply chain in producing countries is very variable, depending not only on each country’s characteristics, but also on the needs of these companies while performing their functions.

Throughout the years, Xorxios has established long-term trust-based relationships with many commendable organisations, of very different nature. In all of them we may find amazing people who perform their duties in the coffee value chain diligently and passionately.

Coffee is the excuse for travelling in search of these people.